Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 382 Scholars, Farmers, Industry and Commerce
Han, Shanyang.

Among the hills and valleys, several watchtowers stand high up.

The soldiers, holding powerful crossbows, stood on the watchtower, staring at the entrance in the distance.

At the entrance of the rugged mountain road, a long team was approaching. There were nearly a thousand people in total. They were shackled on their feet, dressed in tattered clothes, and moved forward slowly.

There were soldiers escorting him on both sides, and there were cries of grief all the way.

The situation is exactly the same as that of the Pseudo-Qi.

The newly appointed director of the Metallurgical Bureau, Zhang Yan, stood at the entrance, with many officials standing behind him.

The Han State adopted the policy of the Qi State and established the Yedong and Yexi Offices in the country, which were responsible for the many mines and iron factories in the east and west respectively. In the counties, Dayeling and Xiaoyeling were established, all of which were iron officials.

There are currently 58 iron officials in the country.

This represents the 58 iron and steel mines in the country. It is worth mentioning that in addition to the iron mine, there are also copper mines, silver mines, etc.
The so-called iron officials are just a general name for them. In fact, the official positions are different because of the different responsibilities they are responsible for.

The officer in charge of escorting them quickly stepped forward and saluted Zhang Yan, "This is the last batch."

He took out the document in his hand and handed it to the other party.

Zhang Yan asked his clerks to calculate the number and appearance of the other party to see if they were consistent with what was written in the document.

While the clerks were busy comparing, the officer's face was filled with fatigue. He rubbed the area between his eyebrows, and this unfortunate task was finally over.

Zhang Yan carefully checked the various documents and then looked at the officer.

"Thanks for your hard work. After so many trips back and forth, we finally finished it."

“This is all part of the job.”

"These people deserve to be killed. They usually cut corners. Our weapons are either incomplete or defective. You don't know that when I was fighting against the Pseudo-Zhou in Yangqu, the knife in my hand would break at the slightest touch. You don't have to worry about that in the future."

The officer was in a good mood.

The people he escorted here were all criminals related to the original Tieguan case.

The Tieguan Case is the biggest case in the country since the founding of the Han Dynasty, no, since Liu Taozi came to power.

The case involved 16 factories, 38 mines, and involved thousands of people including temple officials, smelting officials, government officials, local officials, military officers of all ranks, etc.

The crimes of many of them were so serious that the entire family should be punished.

One shovelful would wipe out an entire family, so the number of people implicated exceeded ten thousand.

Of course, the government would not execute tens of thousands of people at one time, as that would be too cruel. The Han State was based on benevolence, so most of them were sentenced to hard labor. The so-called hard labor means restricting their freedom and detaining them. Of course, the government cannot keep them for nothing, so these people still have to do something to make up for it, such as going to the mines they are most familiar with to be responsible for mining work.

Iron smelting has technical requirements. Except for some odd jobs, all other tasks have to be completed by professional craftsmen. But as for mining, most of the mines in the country are still open-pit mines, and only a few require digging downwards, so the technical requirements are not so many, and being able to swing the tools is enough.

The entire Han Kingdom is extremely rich in mineral resources.

Iron, copper, coal... basically everything needed in this era.

Letting prisoners do mining is a rule that has existed for a long time. The State of Qi even imposed corvée labor and conscripted civilians to do mining.

Zhang Yan stood aside, looking at the prisoners in front of him, thoughtful.

Zhang Yan has just taken up the position of the head of the mine here, responsible for mining and overall management.

But after arriving, he found many problems.

After the clerks checked and confirmed that there were no problems, Zhang Yan signed to indicate his acceptance.

The troops in charge of the escort left, and the garrison at the mine took over and took them to the mine.

This is an iron mine. They used fences to enclose a small town around the mine, where prisoners were held and where people lived.

The shackled prisoners were working hard, and the sergeants were patrolling back and forth from time to time.

Everyone is busy.

Zhang Yan stood on the platform, looked at the scene in front of him, frowned, and was filled with worry.

Ye Shucheng stood beside him, his attitude very humble, even a little flattering.

"Sir, we have obtained a new batch of prisoners this time. There are more than 13,000 stonemasons in the mine. After we have eliminated those traitors, no more tyrants dare to compete with us for profits and mines. I am afraid that the amount of mining next year will reach an unprecedented level!!"

The iron official was very excited, but Zhang Yan remained silent.

"This kind of mining, which is mainly based on slavery, will probably not bring much improvement."

“We still need to increase the number of legitimate masons.”

The official was stunned and asked anxiously, "Corvée? But His Majesty doesn't seem to agree with it."

"I don't mean corvée, I mean normal stonework."

The officials understood.

There are many names for mining workers, such as gray-faced workers, slaves, stonemasons, and mine slaves. There are not many nice names.

The main reason for this is that there are relatively few workers who specialize in mining. Most of them are criminals, slaves, and prisoners of war. During the Han Dynasty, merchants, sons-in-law, and stepfathers were also forced to mine.

There are relatively few people who actually make this their profession.

The official had no choice but to say, "I understand what you said, but it's mainly about expenditure. If we recruit stonemasons to do the work, we have to give them money. These people are different. As long as they don't starve to death, we can keep using them. Sometimes, we can let them do risky things without worrying about death or injury."

Zhang Yan said seriously: "You have also seen how inefficient these people are. Moreover, if we talk about expenditure, what about the soldiers who supervise them? How are their expenditures calculated?"

"In the future, there will certainly be fewer and fewer prisoners. Do we have to follow Qi's example and impose forced labor?"

"You can also capture prisoners of war. That's how it was in the past."

"Wouldn't that cost more?"

Zhang Yan whispered, "It's not that we can't let the prisoners work, but we still need to recruit more legitimate stonemasons. There are many dead people who have escaped from the south, and it takes time to grant them land. It's not that we can have enough food and drink tomorrow if we grant them land today. If we can let the iron officials recruit stonemasons and ironworkers on their own, it will not only help those who have no farmland to survive, but also improve the efficiency of mining and smelting."

"I want to write a letter to the government to tell you about this incident."

Tieguan stopped refutation, not because he couldn't refute, but because he didn't dare to refute.

This Zhang Yan is no ordinary person. He is from Cheng'an and from the same village as Your Majesty. He grew up in front of Your Majesty. In the edicts Your Majesty gave him, he affectionately called him Erlang.

He can't afford to offend this, so he can write the book however he wants.

It’s none of my business anyway.

There are many opportunities to make achievements here. Since the Iron Official Case, many vacancies have appeared in various places. Everything needs to be rebuilt. As long as you are not a fool and do a little, you can make outstanding political achievements, and then you can move up. What a good opportunity.

Zhang Yan did not hesitate and returned to his residence, where he began to write, preparing to submit a memorial to the imperial court.

Pingcheng.

Liu Taozi, wearing ordinary military uniform, was pushing his way forward in the bustling East Market.

The city was extremely lively, with merchants everywhere along the road, and people coming and going. Cars and horses could not get in at all, and everyone was huddled together, pushing hard to move forward.

A foul smell came from everywhere, and there were a lot of discarded debris, leftovers, chicken and duck feces, etc. on the ground.

Gao Yanzong walked among the crowd, and the pungent smell made him feel a little dizzy.

Gao Yanzong is not a very clean person, but this is too dirty!
Liu Taozi didn't show any sign of abnormality. He walked on the road with great interest, looking at the vendors on both sides from time to time.

Many people came to the market, some of them came from the countryside, and there was noise everywhere.

The crowd just pushed forward.

Gao Yanzong finally couldn't help it and pulled Zu Ting who was standing beside him.

"It's dangerous here with so many people. Let's take His Majesty back."

Zu Ting was dressed more casually, with a slight smile on his face, "Don't disturb the lord's interest, just be patient, you will get used to it." He walked through the crowd and came to a deeper place, where there were many storefronts.

These shops are not like the vendors who come from far away. They are always open to receive customers and operate according to the opening hours of the market.

The door was open and there were a lot of things piled up at the door.

Several customers were looking down.

Liu Taozi led the two of them here and looked around.

The shopkeeper was sitting in the house, with his head slightly tilted up, a teacup placed beside him, sipping tea with relish.

This is an iron shop that sells all kinds of ironware.

This shop is completely different from other shops. The difference is that it is a salt and iron monopoly, and the mining, smelting, and sale of iron are all handled by the government. Therefore, this shop is owned by the government, and the shopkeeper inside is not a businessman, but an "official".

A farmer held up a handy short hoe and asked, "Shopkeeper, how much is this hoe worth?"

The shopkeeper didn't even look at him, and said unhappily, "The price is marked over there, go check it out for yourself."

The farmer was a little embarrassed. He stuck his head out and saw the number marked on the side. He looked around, quietly pulled someone and asked in a low voice what the number in front of him was.

Liu Taozi stared at the shop owner and slowly walked in.

The shopkeeper raised his head and looked at Liu Taozi in military uniform, and saw two people following him, one of whom was particularly fat. He stood up with a smile on his face, but not much.

"What do you want to buy?"

Liu Taozi looked around and asked, "What do you have?"

The shopkeeper's expression changed and he waved his hand, "Some are all here."

After saying that, he returned to his seat and sat down again.

If it were a few years ago, these officials would be afraid and would curry favor with the rich and powerful in the local area, but the situation is different now.

These local tyrants are not big shots nowadays. The authority and power of the government are constantly increasing. The officials who represent the government are the most powerful. Anyone who touches them will die.

Moreover, the shop owner also expected that these people were not really rich and powerful, and they were people that they could not afford to offend. After all, how could such people come to the city in person to buy ironware? ?
Gao Yanzong became furious when he saw the other person's appearance and was about to roll up his sleeves.

Zu Ting hurriedly grabbed his arm and shook his head at him.

Liu Taozi just looked at the ironware and the prices on them. After looking for a long time, he didn't buy anything and left with the two of them.

As the three of them walked out of the store, Gao Yanzong immediately started complaining.

"Why let such a villain go? He looks down on people with his dog eyes. He should be dragged out and killed!"

Zu Ting laughed, "He doesn't know your Majesty's identity. Ignorance is not to blame, but it's not to the point where he deserves to be killed."

Gao Yanzong was a little annoyed. "How can there be people doing business like this in the world? Are they hoping that their products won't sell?"

Zu Ting further explained: "They are not merchants. How much the goods are sold has nothing to do with them. They have a fixed salary, so it is natural that it is like this."

Gao Yanzong looked at Liu Taozi and said, "Brother, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Although I don't understand government affairs, I know that doing business like this is definitely wrong. If I were a commoner, how could I dare to buy from such a business?"

Zu Ting smiled and said, "This is what merchants use it for."

"Farmers cultivate the land to feed the rest of the people, craftsmen make tools, merchants sell them and distribute them to farmers. This cycle is the foundation of the country."

"However, we cannot let the merchants take charge at the moment. At least we cannot let them make iron."

Zu Ting said quietly, "Our goal is not to use ironware to exchange for fiscal revenue, but to lower the price and promote it to the people. Merchants can't do this. They sell for profit and will only think of ways to increase profits. If they can't do that, they will think of ways to reduce costs. The price of a hoe from Pingcheng sold in Yingzhou is the same as that in Pingcheng, but if merchants are allowed to make it, the price will at least double. There are few people there, and they are poor. There may not even be merchants who will go there."

"Well"

"Besides, the north has been ravaged for too long. People's livelihood has declined, farmland has been barren, and everything needs to be rebuilt. We must at least restore it to normal. After the recovery, we can gradually normalize the iron market."

Gao Yanzong seemed to understand but not quite.

Liu Taozi suddenly said, "Even so, we can't let the store owners be so negligent. Grandfather, you come up with a solution."

"only!"

Zu Ting immediately bowed his head and accepted the order.

The three of them walked around the city many times, and before the market closed, they finally left the East Market and returned to the government office.

After leaving the city, the city was still very crowded.

The carriage did not dare to go too fast on the road, and the noisy sounds outside never stopped.

Zu Ting was still very happy.

"Your Majesty, this year there is a bumper harvest in various places. Judging from the situation in the four states that have completed the autumn harvest, we finally don't have to get food from outside anymore. Hahaha, we should be able to save a lot for use in the expedition!"

"What a great blessing!"

Although Liu Taozi didn't say anything, her expression looked pretty good, with a faint smile on her face.

Gao Yan's emphasis on agriculture is still very practical today. The north is not fighting every day like in the troubled times, but the situation is more tragic than the chaotic times after wars in ancient times. Heavy corvee labor has left nine out of ten houses empty, farmland barren, cities in ruins, more states and fewer counties. The cultivated land area in Qi began to disappear on a large scale in the fifth year of Tianbao, and this situation continued until Gao Yan, when it eased somewhat and then declined rapidly again.

This is even more true for the population. In Jizhou alone, previous measurements showed that the population had decreased by 40,000 to 50,000 households in ten years. That’s a lot of households!

What has increased is the number of unemployed vagrants who have lost their land, the number of thieves in various places, and the prices of food and all kinds of necessities.

It is no wonder that Gao Yun devoted himself to agriculture. The whole of Hebei was starving, the army could not be fed, and if they were distracted to do other things, they would die. The government spent a lot of energy and worked hard to restore agriculture and sericulture in Hebei, and gradually stabilized the local people's livelihood.

The next step is to use agriculture to bring out workers, and then use workers to nourish business, and then let business give back to agriculture and workers. After a big cycle is completed, the north will basically be stable.

They arrived at the General's Mansion, where Zu Ting and Gao Yanzong stopped.

Gao Yanzong wanted to continue following in, but Zu Ting held him back and said goodbye to Liu Taozi.

The palace was also quite lively.

People came and went, and after Liu Taozi had secured his throne, he had more and more "relatives".

The first one is Liu Chengcai.

Liu Chengcai was a small military leader in Huaishuo, and was the first person to defect to Liu Taozi. After Liu Taozhi arrived, he discovered that this person was actually Liu Taozi's cousin.
And those people from the Zhang family.

Liu Taozi had two uncles. The second uncle was dismissed for his previous inaction and has not been able to become an official again. He spends all day reading and never goes out.

On the other hand, my eldest uncle is now working in the Secretariat, not because he is Liu Taozi's relative, but because he is indeed talented, and he also made contributions when he sent the Warriors Camp.

Liu Taozi didn't care much about these relatives and went straight back to her dormitory.

Liu Taozi was changing clothes when Huluqian walked in. She tiptoed to Liu Taozi's side. They had been together for a long time, and she was no longer so shy.

She walked to Liu Taozi's side like a thief, looked around, and whispered, "Husband, someone just came to ask for an official position. He said he was a relative of our family and also your uncle, and brought many gifts."

"what is it call?"

"My name is Liu Chengqi."

"Okay, got it."

Liu Taozi put on his clothes abruptly and looked down at Huluqian who was standing beside him.

"Go back and explore again."

"If you have any news, please report it immediately."

"Don't let that old man interfere in the government. If he promises an official position to anyone, write that person down."

Huluqian blinked blankly and hesitated for a moment, "Yes?"

(End of this chapter)